Broken Butterflies
by AZ1087653
Summary: Two people, when looked at close, may seem to have no similarities to speak of. It's only when a step back is taken that those similarities become glaring.


Disclaimer – I don't own Loveless, or the characters.

Broken Butterflies

No twelve year old in his or her right mind actually likes doing homework; especially homework in a foreign language. Be that as it may, if a person is twelve years old and in school that individual must do his or her homework. Liking it or disliking it doesn't really matter as long as there is a finished product to hand in to the teacher by the end of the week.

Ritsuka walked down the hallway reading the requirements for the essay with Yuiko chattering aimlessly behind him. She was worried because her English skills were horrible. Yayoi was behind her offering to be her tutor and help her, even though he was in a different class and didn't even end up with the assignment for some reason.

He vaguely heard Yuiko whining behind him, "I don't know what to do this report on let alone know how to translate it into English." Her voice was carried away on the gentle breeze that blew through the schoolyard.

"It's not so bad, Yuiko." Yayoi tried to talk some sense into the overly emotional teenager. "I can help you. It may not be perfect, but it will be enough."

"And how come you don't have this assignment." She asked rather coldly.

Yayoi mumbled the answer, "My homeroom teacher isn't in charge of the English club."

"That's not fair!" Yuiko cried out, causing Ritsuka to finally pay attention to where he was walking.

"It is what it is, so we should just do it and get it over with." He deadpanned, causing Yuiko to pout.

"Why don't we go to my house and we can work on it together?" Yayoi offered.

As nice as that would have been, Ritsuka knew that a certain college student was waiting for him at the gate of the school. He wanted to spend time with his friends, he really did, but for some reason he was just too tired to deal with Yuiko's over-the-top dramatics and Yayoi's wide-eyed devotion that was never reciprocated.

"I can't today." He answered after a few seconds of Yuiko eyeing him with hope. The answer caused her ears to droop. "I promised Soubi I would help him with a painting." It wasn't a lie; he just hadn't planned on helping him that day.

"Can…" Yuiko started and Ritsuka cut her off with his upraised hand. This time her ears, face, and tail drooped.

"He's my brother's friend, so it's okay for me to be there, but I'm not sure he'd be comfortable with others our age around. People might start getting the wrong idea."

Yayoi nodded in agreement. "I agree with that statement. Him hanging out with you at his age is a little weird, even if he was your brother's friend."

Speaking of said man, he was leaning against the gate of the school, wearing his customary long jacket, as usual. The difference was his hair was tied back and he had paint on his cheek, like he'd rushed off without making himself presentable. At least this, sort of, backed up Ritsuka's claim.

"Soubi-san!" Yuiko shouted as she took off with a jog, her massive chest bouncing and causing others to stare in a lewd fashion.

"Yuiko-chan." Soubi nodded the arrival. "I hope you had a pleasant day."

"Yes." She said with more bubble than necessary. "How about you? Are you painting?"

Well that question was answered in an obvious way by the paint on his cheek, but the older member of the group didn't point that out. He did want Ritsuka's friends to be comfortable around him. So he just nodded as the two younger boys stopped at his side.

"Ritsuka, shall we go?" He asked smoothly.

The younger just nodded. He then nodded at his two friends and walked off toward Soubi's apartment without a second glance back. If he had glanced back he would have seen Yuiko's sad face at his leaving and Yayoi's sad face at Yuiko not paying him any attention.

/GG/

The boy sat on Soubi's sofa while the older male rummaged through his paints looking for a certain metallic blue color. Ritsuka found it amusing how his fighter could become so wrapped up in a painting it was almost as if his personality changed. Soubi's personality was like a butterfly, hidden within a chrysalis and waiting to explode in so many colors.

Soubi's painting was on display for anyone in the room to see, so Ritsuka studied it carefully. The painting showed a butterfly on a black background. This butterfly was attempting to take off from a dying flower, but it couldn't because its wing was ripped and hanging to the side. On the underside of the flower was a cocoon; this too also had a rip in the side, indicating that the butterfly within was also going to be broken as well.

It made Ritsuka sad to see how depressing some of the art student's paintings turned out. He had such a talent, yet his continence was so shattered, he couldn't create anything happy anymore. Then again, if Ritsuka had that sort of talent he'd most likely be painting in a similar manner.

That was when it hit him. He looked at the requirements for his English assignment. The instructions read:

_Compare two people in your life. How are they similar? How are they different? Why did you choose these two people?_

Soubi's painting was mirroring himself and the other man. The instructions made no mention that the writer couldn't be included in the report. Nor did it say that their names had to be mentioned either.

/GG/

After Soubi had dropped Ritsuka off at his house with the customary departure words of, "I love you", the boy went into his room, unscathed by his mother, and started to write his report. His English skills, while better than most, were not perfect for what he wanted to write, so he enlisted the help of the native English speaker page from the cram school he was supposed to be attending.

The report wasn't easy, but by the time he finished the outline, he was happy. Over the next three evenings he worked on ironing out the grammar, punctuation, and overall tone of the report. It was finished on Thursday evening, which meant he could turn it in Friday for an early turn-in bonus.

That night Ritsuka's dreams were about butterflies, Soubi, and flying. How were the broken butterflies supposed to be able to fly? Even in his dreams he could not answer that question.

His report was turned in on Friday morning and that weekend his homeroom teacher sat and read the report with tears in her eyes. It was written so well she had to ask for help in understanding some of the metaphors used. Even if the boy hadn't signed the paper with his name, Shinonome sensei would have known it was his. Only he could have written something with such heart.

Friday night for Soubi and Ritsuka consisted of sitting on the sofa and watching a movie together. Neither needed to speak, just being near one another was enough. That was how it would always be.

/GG/

_Broken Butterflies_

_By: Ritsuka Aoyagi_

_Two people, when looked at close, may seem to have no similarities to speak of. It's only when a step back is taken that those similarities become glaring. Even with an age difference of almost a decade, two people can be so much like one another; they could almost be mistaken for the same person. _

_The elder of the two has seen enough pain to fill a reservoir and still have some pain left over. He lost his parents at an early age and went to live with a man who emotionally traumatized him to the point where he no longer has any love for himself. On his back he carries the physical scars of his pain, but inside he carries so much more. _

_Likewise, the younger of the two lost someone equally as important; his lifeline to the world. Inside this individual is also carrying the scars of many battles; both fought and still to be fought. How these two found one another can only be described as serendipity. _

_Both started out as caterpillars, eager and hungry to explore the new world. The pain set these two into the chrysalis early. One of them has already emerged a broken butterfly; this one waits patiently for the other to break free from the chrysalis. _

_They both know that no matter what, as long as they are together, broken or not, they can face the world. Until that time they will wait patiently with each other, stuck on a dying flower, one with a wing damaged beyond repair, and the other still trapped within. They may be broken butterflies, but if they lean on one another, they still have two good wings and can help one another fly away from the dying flower. _


End file.
